Ian Somerhalder has been part of a number of iconic shows, from Lost to The Vampire Diaries. However, he has since walked away from this life. During a recent interview, he opened up about what inspired this change, notably discussing his time with Netflix.
The Vampire Diaries‘ Ian Somerhalder Retired From Acting Around 2024
As an actor, Somerhalder became known to many for playing Boone Carlyle on the science fiction drama Lost. Later, he gained further recognition as Damon Salvatore on the teen drama series, The Vampire Diaries.
Back in 2024, however, Somerhalder revealed that he had retired from acting, saying he would be moving to a farm outside of Los Angeles. In his personal life, he married actress Nikki Reed in 2015, sharing a son and daughter together.
The retired actor recently discussed leaving Hollywood during a visit to the Haley on the Go podcast. Somerhalder noted that some might find his reasoning “controversial,” explaining that he stepped away after troubles with the Netflix series V Wars.
This series revolved around a deadly outbreak that could bring about a future war between humans and vampires. The horror series was cancelled after one season in 2020. Somerhalder starred in the series as Dr. Luther Swann. In addition, he also served as an executive producer during the show.
Somerhalder Opened Up About What Happened Behind The Scenes On Netflix’s V Wars
Coming off of The Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder shared, “I wanted to do V Wars because it was me, not as a vampire, it was me as a scientist. [We] shot the show, moved my whole family to Northern Ontario. Worked really hard on this thing for almost a year, and the show that got turned in wasn’t even watchable.”
Reviewing the final product, Somerhalder wanted to prevent the series from being released. He admitted, “I said to the studio, ‘I don’t want to put my name on this. I’ll give you the money back — I’ll give you millions of dollars. And they were like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’”
In an attempt at a compromise, Somerhalder claimed that he and his producing partner, James Gibb, asked for “creative control of the show” with the hopes of fixing things. Netflix agreed, but he was told, “‘We’re not giving you a dollar more.’”
Somerhalder shared that he ultimately raised over $6 million in funds to do reshoots for six days. This resulted in the 10 hours of footage that he needed to rework the show. He even claimed that the workload ended up putting him “in the hospital.”
The Retired Actor Has Found Multiple Ways To Keep Busy Since Walking Away From Hollywood
One silver lining to it all was that the series was initially “a hit,” although it didn’t save the show from cancellation. He claimed, “The execs were fighting, and someone quietly canceled the show.” In fact, he also alleged that he was later told that the cancellation was a mistake, but it couldn’t be undone.
All of this inspired Somerhalder to walk away. He shared, “I looked at myself in the mirror, and I said to my wife, I was like, ‘Man, I’m 40 years old. I don’t want to spend two years of my life doing something, working this hard’ — one year fully unpaid — ‘for this executive who had issues in high school so they want to exert power now.’ I am not here for my career and livelihood to be dictated by someone who has mommy or daddy issues, or they weren’t popular in school.”
Following this, the former actor keeps busy as the co-founder of the Absorption Company, a brand that focuses on high-absorption supplements for sleep and energy, which he started with his wife. He and his former co-star, Paul Wesley, also founded Brother’s Bond Bourbon.
What is your reaction to Ian Somerhalder’s recent share? Have you been following this story? Did you watch him on his shows? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.